Rain
by ko-i-shi-te-'ru
Summary: What's the secret hiding behind Kyouya's glasses? Alert : Kyouya/Haruhi pair-up
1. Chapter 1

**RAIN (_part one_)**

_The rain makes me feel helpless and weak…_

_And yet, when it's trickling down from the heavens, freeing all things from the dry spells of the sun, I become the person I was meant to be…_

_I come alive…_

"Haruhi! Haaaaaruuuuhiiii!"

"Get away from me!" Fujioka Haruhi cried in a stern voice as a dashing, princely, tall blonde male grabbed her arm.

"But, but, but… You'll only wear it during the club operation today! After that, I'll throw it away myself, promise!" Suou Tamaki, the "King" of Ouran High School's most popular club: the Host Club, protested. He was holding up a cute, black-and-pink bunny suit and was trying to get Haruhi to wear it.

"But why me?" Haruhi complained, restraining Tamaki's forceful hands as they tried to pull her closer to him. "Why can't you have the others wear it? Or you?"

"Because you're the only one here who can convincingly look like a girl!"

"That's because I _am_ a girl!"

At this, Tamaki stopped and stared at Haruhi, the outfit slipping from his hands and dropping on the floor with a _swish_. Slowly, his cheeks reddened, his face showed a drop of shock and then, he ran out of the room, banging the door shut. Haruhi was left standing in her boys' uniform, staring at the door, her brown, boy-cut hair swaying with the air-conditioning.

"Tamaki's up to his usual game again?"

Haruhi was startled and looked behind her. The "Shadow King" of the Host Club (meaning he's really the one running the club), Ootori Kyouya, was leaning against the wall, taking down notes on the pages of his clipboard. His glasses, as they often did, hid his eyes from view, impressing upon Haruhi that it must be Kyouya's way of remaining detached from the world. _I wonder what his eyes look like without the glasses. What would I see?_

Haruhi laughed inside her head. The thought itself was too melodramatic for the practical manner of Ootori Kyouya. _No_, Haruhi thought. _It's too poetic for him_._It's just me._

"Really?"

Haruhi's eyes widened in shock. "H-how…w-what…you're…"_Did he know what I was thinking about?_

Kyouya laughed, brushing strands of black hair from his forehead. He tapped his clipboard and turned his back on her.

_No, he didn't_, Haruhi thought, sighing with relief.

"Haruhi."

"Yes?"

"I'm not poetic at all. So it's really just you." Then, Kyouya stepped out of the room.

Haruhi stood dumbfounded for a few moments before her heart started pounding at a fast rate. _He knew._

_The Ouran High School Host Club is now open…_

She was being designated by three girls this time, and they were asking her all kinds of questions about her family, her living conditions and her over-all life, not knowing that they were flirting with a girl. It could be pretty awkward, but she was used to it and to the ignorance of the rich on matters of common life. Sometimes she even thought it was endearing; their amazement on plain stuff like instant coffee and mass production of clothes, and the way they step out of their boundaries and actually try to get to know her life as a commoner.

Of course she was thinking of the boys. The thought of immersing themselves in the everyday life of a commoner never entered the minds of the other students in Ouran High School. They were too busy training themselves for the time when they would take over their families' businesses. But the boys… they were different. Stupid, idiotic different. Haruhi laughed inside her head. Yes, they were cute and stupid at times.

Except for one…

Haruhi shifted her eyes and looked at the tall, slender, dark-haired figure of Ootori Kyouya, bent over a laptop as usual. He doesn't let himself get designated much; he was far too busy keeping the club running. Haruhi's eyes shifted to the dramatic figure of Suou Tamaki, who was wooing a girl in his arms. The two were very different, and Tamaki never seemed flustered over the club operations, he was carefree and moody. She turned again to Kyouya. Kyouya was organized and practical. He never showed any emotion before…ever. He was like a stone.

Who is he? He was a mystery to her, and she felt drawn to try and solve it. But he, like his eyes, was shielded from view by something like glass, transparent yet forbidding. You think you see him, but underneath that ready smile and confident smirk, he was invisible. Only Tamaki got past that wall of glass and the next ones in line had to wait to be admitted.

_Who are you?_

Then, Haruhi realized that Kyouya's fingers had stopped moving. They were hanging still over the keyboard of his laptop and she found his eyes looking straight into hers with a piercing intensity, as if, like before, he knew everything she was thinking about him.

Cheeks red, Haruhi turned her attention to the three girls chatting endlessly about what they admired about her while sipping tea.

Haruhi slung her bag across her torso and sighed, remembering the incident with Kyouya. It was embarrassing that he caught her staring at him. _I wonder what he thinks about that_… she thought. She was last to leave, declining Hikaru's and Tamaki's offers to take her home. She didn't want to see Kyouya again, so she avoided him for the rest of the day, hiding herself among the customers and making excuses so that she could stay and wait for him to leave before she did. At one point, he had tried to talk to her but she walked away, pretending she had not seen him. She thought everything had gone smoothly, but her uneasiness was far too obvious to Kyouya. Unknown to her, he was watching her the whole time.

She walked out of the Music Room and proceeded down the wide hallway, the elaborate, red-carpeted stairs and finally, the front garden leading to the large gates of Ouran High School. To her surprise, a shiny, black, stretch limousine was parked just outside the front doors. _I wonder whose is that,_ she thought. _Someone's leaving school late, too_.

"Fujioka-sama."

She stopped dead in her tracks. _Fujioka-sama_?

The driver of the limousine had called out to her and was now bowing down, gesturing for her to enter the limousine. Haruhi wasn't used to being treated that way and was in too much of a shock to process the bizarre scene occurring before her.

"M-me?" she asked.

"Yes," the driver said. "Please get in, Fujioka-sama."

"But…I—wait, is this some kind of joke?" Haruhi asked, her bewilderment at being called _Fujioka-sama_ getting the better of her. "Who sent you?"

"Ootori Kyouya-sama."

_Kyouya!_ She almost screamed. She was breathing heavily now, panicking. She had tried to avoid him all day, and now, here was his reply. A blunt message: _You can't ignore me for long_.

"I'm sorry," Haruhi said, feeling the burn of hot tears gathering behind her eyes. "I can't get in. I will walk home from here."

The driver straightened and looked at her with distressed eyes. "But it looks like it's going to rain," he said, pointing to the dark clouds forming rapidly in the sky. "And I was firmly instructed to take you home safely, Fujioka-sama."

"I'm sorry, really," Haruhi insisted, already walking past the limousine. "I'll account for you; I'll tell Kyouya-senpai that I refused to come with you. I'm sorry. Goodbye."

"But, Fujioka-sama—"

"And stop calling me that!"

Haruhi broke into a run, as fast as she could, not wanting to hear the driver's answer. She didn't stop, not until Ouran High School was hidden from her view. And then she halted beside a lamppost, her knees trembling, her hands groping the lamppost for support, her eyes glued to the pavement; she was crying.

_Stupid!_ She cried to herself._Why are you crying? There's no reason to…_

But she couldn't hold back her tears. Kyouya had deliberately tried to hurt her, to laugh at her. As she started to cry, lighting struck across the sky, thunder rolled in the distance and the rain, as if getting their cue from her tears, poured freely from the sky.

_I hate you, Kyouya! Making fun of me like that! Just because I stared at you?_

Wet and cold, Haruhi crouched closer to the lamppost, crying and wailing, not caring if anyone was looking at her. After a while, she slowly stood up, inching forward though her eyes and ears were impaired by the rush of rain. And then she saw it.

A shadow was moving closer toward her. It was tall, dark and slender and a glinting light was coming from its head where the eyes should be.

_Glasses_.

Haruhi took a step back, realizing who it was. "Go away!" she cried, almost inaudibly, the sound of the rain was too strong.

He stepped into the light.

Kyouya.

He stopped. She stopped. Kyouya lifted his hand and took off his glasses, waving away his wet hair, baring his eyes for her to see, to look into.

"What are you doing?" Haruhi asked, knowing well what he wanted. She looked into his uncovered eyes, the first one to have ever done so and it seemed like an eternity, looking into someone's eyes and finally knowing who they are.

"So this is you?" she asked.

In one quick motion, Kyouya, ignoring her words, grabbed Haruhi and forced his lips onto hers.


	2. Chapter 2

"Haruhi?"

The Hitachiin brothers, Hikaru and Kaoru peered at Haruhi's face as she blankly stared out the window of the Third Music Room, seated on a chair. They blinked several times, pursed their lips in wonder and even poked her nose. But Haruhi didn't budge. She was lost in some dream world, and they couldn't shake her out of it. Finally, after a few more minutes of trying to get her attention, the brothers gave twin shrugs and walked away with worried faces.

They stopped beside Suou Tamaki, who was panicking over Haruhi's state. He was quickly pacing back and forth, and his usually smooth blonde locks were rumpled with distress. Hikaru gave Haruhi another glance and sighed. "My Lord," he said, looking at Tamaki. "She came in with that look on her face. She refused to be designated, or, rather, she never heard any of the words we said and so couldn't be designated."

"What's wrong with her, Hikaru? Kaoru?"

The twins shook their heads with the same bewildered rhythm.

"Is Haru-chan okay?" Haninozuka Mitsukuni, a cute, short, dusty-blonde-haired senior who could pass for a grade-schooler said. He was sitting on his cousin's shoulders, Takashi Mori, who was a tall, dark-haired senior, a champion at Kendo and had the looks of a sinister gangster.

"Honey-senpai!" Tamaki whimpered, looking up at Mitsukuni with teary eyes. "What is happening to my daughter?"

"Maybe she needs a nice strawberry cake! Tehe!" Mitsukuni cried, raising his arms in delight.

"I don't think that's what she needs, Mitsukuni," Mori said, keeping his face devoid of expression.

"Is that so?" Mitsukuni asked. "Then, I don't know what to do either, Tama-chan."

"Wait," Kaoru suddenly said. "Where's Kyouya-senpai?"

Suddenly, Haruhi stood up and all of them froze, not knowing how to react to her bizarre actions. Slowly, she turned her head at them, her eyes seemingly empty and her face crest-fallen with some inner conflict they couldn't guess.

"H-Haruhi?" Tamaki meekly called, tentatively taking a step towards her.

Haruhi stood looking straight at them, but they all felt as if she they were invisible to her and that she wasn't aware of their presence. After tense minutes of silence, Haruhi moved back to her sat back down and stared out the window again.

At this, Tamaki fell on the floor with a cry, "What's happening?!?"

He sat all day behind those curtains. No one else was allowed to go in once he started typing on his laptop. Haruhi listened intently at the_clickety-clack_ of his keyboard, while keeping her eyes on the courtyard. She wanted to be sure that he was still in the room, still near her. When Kaoru asked where he was, she thought he had gone, and so she stood up and was about to go out the room when she heard the faint sound of his fingers tapping on his table. He was probably thinking of ways to solve some financial problem, and was still busy. But he was still there, so she sat down again, assured.

She didn't know what was wrong with her. She couldn't stop thinking about last night's kiss, his eyes and how he carried her home. Both of them were drenched in rain, and her father had insisted that he stay the night. And he did.

He slept next to her, but his back was turned so she couldn't see his face. But she remembered his calm, steady breathing that lulled her to sleep. She found him gone that morning.

_His eyes were so deep… and his lips were so warm against mine. _She touched her lips with her fingers. She saw his true feelings, his true nature. And she was so sure of what she saw.

But now, she couldn't be quite sure. That was what troubled her. The glasses were back in place, and so was the attitude. The romantic and passionate side was once again pushed down by his practicality and careless manner. Haruhi sighed helplessly.

_Will he never stop pretending and hiding behind that mask?_

"What do you want?"

"I just…I just want to talk to you."

"I'm busy."

"Just for a few minutes."

"I said I'm busy."

"Well, I don't care! I'm going in whether you want me to or not!"

Haruhi pulled the curtains open and found Kyouya staring at her, sitting with his back straight, hands poised over the keyboard of his laptop. She had gathered enough confidence to sweep away the curtains and go in, but she realized it wasn't enough for the next part: facing Kyouya.

"Yes?" Kyouya asked.

"Last night…"

"Last night was nothing. It was just simple give-and-take between tradesmen. Nothing more."

Haruhi's brows joined in confusion. She took a step forward. "What do you mean?" she demanded. "That kiss meant nothing to you?"

"Yes." And Kyouya looked at her with a hard expression, glasses glinting in the lights, hiding his eyes from view.

"But…" Haruhi's eyes suddenly swelled with tears. "But…then…what was it?"

"I told you. It was give-and-take. Remember what I told you? I don't do anything unless there are merits for me."

"What was the merit in that? That you got to kiss me?"

To Haruhi's surprise, Kyouya laughed, a little too cruelly. The cold, manic sound hurt Haruhi even more than the words that followed it. "I won our little contest, didn't I?" he said. "Don't think kissing you was any merit. I got to pull my joke on you and the merit is that you were convincingly fooled. Weren't you challenging me yesterday, with your sly attempts at avoiding me?"

Haruhi was breathing deeply now and was turning defensive. She was getting too hurt. "I thought a merit for you would be money and connections with top people," she said. "Not winning a sad little game with a nobody."

"Well, sometimes people need a break," Kyouya said, leaning back on his chair. "You gave me just what I needed."

Tears fell from Haruhi's eyes, one by one, but she refused to acknowledge. She brushed them away. It couldn't be true. He's kidding, right? He's lying!

She rushed at him and grabbed his shoulders, angry and hurt at the same time. Kyouya stopped laughing and Haruhi wrapped her arms around him and kissed him as furiously as he did last night.

The world spun around Kyouya and for a few moments, all he could feel was Haruhi's lips moving against his. As his eyes began to close, a sudden realization brought him back to his senses. He pushed Haruhi away, eyes wide with disbelief. "Stop!" he cried.

"Why are you being so stupid?" Haruhi shouted.

"Don't you dare do that again! Get out!"

Haruhi stormed out of the small space, throwing the curtains aside, her face wild with anger, tears pouring freely down her cheeks. It didn't matter to her that everyone, from the other Host Club members to the guests were watching her with wide and scared eyes.

Kyouya followed after her with the same angry expression. "Don't come near me again!" he shouted.

"I won't!" Haruhi screamed back. "And for your information, I quit!"

Kyouya's eyes widened. "You can't quit!" he said.

"Yes, I can! I just did!"

"You have a debt to us!"

"I don't care! I'll pay it off somehow, but I won't be doing it working for you! I'm out of here!" She ran out the door and slammed it hard behind her.

The loud bang reverberated across the room, leaving a chilling silence no one could break.

Tamaki turned to Kyouya, his face reflecting a seriousness rarely seen in him. All the others had scared expressions, looking at him with teary eyes. Mitsukuni was already crying. The twins only looked at each other with unreadable faces. Kyouya couldn't take it anymore and went back behind the curtains.

Haruhi was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Tamaki walked to the center of the stunned, silent room. All eyes followed him, even the teary-eyed Mitsukuni. Tamaki closed his eyes, cleared his throat and sighed. Everyone waited in suspense while he bowed his head.

And then…

"Did everyone like our little skit?" he announced to the room, grinning wildly and spreading his arms wide.

All the customers' and guests' faces lightened up at once, heaving sighs of relief, and those who had been holding their breaths finally let go and laughed along with Tamaki.

"That concludes our club operation for today," Tamaki continued. "Thank you for coming and please visit us again. Hikaru, Kaoru!" He snapped his fingers.

"My Lord!" The twins cried out together, saluting Tamaki.

"Please escort these beautiful ladies out the door and give each of them the latest edition of our club magazine."

"Yes, my Lord!"

And the twins rushed off in an identical speed, servicing the ladies, who were still laughing at being fooled. When the last girl left, carrying off her magazine with a wide smile, the twins slowly shut the door of the Third Music Room and walked grimly back to Tamaki.

Tamaki rubbed the bridge of his nose between his two fingers.

"That was a nice save, my lord," Hikaru said.

"What else could I do?" Tamaki asked. "The scene those two made would have ruined our reputation forever if I didn't do that."

"What happened to them? Why did they start yelling at each other like that?" Kaoru joined.

"I don't know. They were talking about something I couldn't really hear behind those curtains," Hikaru said.

Tamaki glared at the thick, red velvet curtains that blocked Kyouya from the outside world. He walked towards it, his steps getting louder every time, and, with an angry sweep of his hands, he brushed the heavy curtains aside and found Kyouya typing on his laptop, looking as if nothing had happened.

"Hey!" Tamaki yelled at him. "What was that about?"

Kyouya kept typing, not even giving Tamaki a glance. "Nothing," he said.

"Nothing? I know you well, Kyouya. Probably better than you know yourself. You're hiding something. What is it?"

"Tamaki," Kyouya said. "This is nothing I can't fix. Relax."

"How could we relax?" Hikaru finally shouted, unable to control himself any longer. "Haruhi's gone! She's gone! You made her leave! Bring her back!"

"Hikaru—" Kaoru tried to pull his brother back, but Hikaru resisted.

"Bring her back!" Hikaru shouted some more. "Kyouya-senpai!"

"Takashi!" Mitsukuni cried along with Hikaru, bursting into tears again and burying himself in Mori's arms, who was keeping his cool for Mitsukuni's sake.

Tamaki held up his hands and closed the curtains behind him, leaving him and Kyouya alone.

"Kyouya…" Tamaki said in a softer tone. "Tell me what's wrong. I'm your best friend, aren't I?"

Kyouya finally stopped typing and faced Tamaki. He took off his glasses and Tamaki saw a panicking worry in Kyouya's eyes, an expression so unlike Kyouya that he was taken back with surprise.

"Tamaki…" Kyouya started. "I'm sorry."

Tamaki smiled and placed a hand on Kyouya's shoulder. "I know you are," he said. "What's up with you and Haruhi? Why were you fighting?"

"You won't like what I'm about to say."

"Why not? Is it something bad?"

"Not exactly."

"Then say it."

Kyouya looked directly in Tamaki's eyes.

"I'm in love with Haruhi."

The hand on his shoulder froze and Kyouya knew that whatever Tamaki expected to hear, what he said was not one of them.

There were a few minutes of intense silence, while Tamaki gripped Kyouya's shoulder harder and harder. Kyouya looked as if it did not hurt him in the least. He kept his cool, waiting for Tamaki's reaction.

Then, nervous laughter erupted from Tamaki and Kyouya looked up at him, his eyes narrowing.

"In love—with—Ha—Ha—hahahaha!" Tamaki stuttered between fits of unnatural laughs.

"It's true."

Tamaki stopped.

Kyouya turned his back from him and started typing again.

"When?" Tamaki asked, also turning his back, as if he was itching to leave the dark, curtained space.

_Tak-takatakataka-TAK!_

The sound of the keyboard stomped on Tamaki's heart. He was feeling something new inside him that he couldn't quite tell. It was like something inside him was beginning to growl and struggle; a part of him wanting to lunge at Kyouya. He shook his head. What was that?

"I don't even remember when I started feeling like this. It just happened," came Kyouya's voice. _Takatakatakatak…tak…tak…_

"O-oh. I—I see." Tamaki cringed as he began to feel as if each strike on the keyboard was biting his ears and kicking his heart.

_TakatakatakatakatakaTAK! TAK! TAK! TAK!_

"Will you stop that!" Tamaki screamed and Kyouya turned to him. Tamaki's shoulders were shaking and he couldn't tell if it was in anger or something else.

"I'm sorry. Goodbye."

Tamaki walked out.

"My Lord, what did he say?" Hikaru asked, chasing Tamaki as he strode towards the door. "My Lord?"

"My Lord, where are you going?" Kaoru added, panic rising in his eyes again. Tamaki was acting strange.

As soon as Tamaki reached the door, Hikaru and Kaoru both knew that he was also leaving. "Tamaki!" Hikaru cried and Tamaki stopped dead in his tracks, his hand on the door handle.

Silence.

And then, Tamaki opened the door of the Third Music Room and stormed out, closing it with a bang.

"T-Tama-chan…?" Mitsukuni whimpered.

Hikaru landed on his knees. "What is going on?" he cried.


	4. Chapter 4

Rain (part 4)

_If only the rain could talk…_

_I'm sure it would tell me…_

_How to wash away this pain…_

Haruhi walked slowly, taking her steps as though every inch of concrete was stretching into a mile. Her tears had dried up already and she was left in a dazed state, like daydreaming, only it felt more like a nightmare. She wasn't sure why she walked out, or why she even dared to say she quit the host club. Her temper had got the better of her and she didn't want to admit it, but she was regretting her actions so much that she just wanted to run back, say she was sorry and forget all about those gripping heartbeats she felt every time she thought of Kyouya, or hear his voice or see his lonely figure by the—

_No!_

She stopped, shook her head violently and stomped her feet like a helpless child in a tantrum. Her pride flared up inside her all of a sudden. She will _never_ forgive Kyouya for what he did! No! No matter what the reason was, she'll scorn past it and hate him for the rest of her life!

But…

The image of Kyouya kissing her in the rain would not let her have a moment's peace. Every time she came close to a resolution of erasing him from her memory, his deep, black eyes and sultry lips would invade her imagination and crush every other thought in her mind.

Why? Why wouldn't it go away? That kiss meant nothing! Kyouya said so himself! It was just another one of his dirty tricks!

…right?

Haruhi wanted to believe the logic of the situation, but it was too hard. Especially since she felt something in his kiss that awakened something else inside of her that she never knew existed. In fact, she was so unaware of that something that she didn't even know what it was or how to describe it. Has she ever in her life felt that way before?

"Haruhi! Wait! Stop!"

Haruhi looked back and saw Tamaki chasing her down the sidewalk.

"Tamaki-senpai?"

Tamaki came up to her and bent down, breathing heavily. He then straightened up and looked down at Haruhi, whose sad, brown eyes touched his fatherly (or so he thought) heart that he wanted nothing else than to hug her tightly. But he restrained himself and tried hard to keep his composure.

"Haruhi, as President of the Host Club," he said in an official, impersonal tone. "I am imploring you, don't leave us. Whatever is happening between you and Kyouya, we will try to fix it, but please don't put the rest of us in this trying situation. Come back, and we'll work on it together."

He extended a hand towards her and honestly thought that he was making a polite, well thought-out speech. But Haruhi's expression surprised him. She was looking at him, but he felt she wasn't really seeing him.

"Tamaki-senpai," Haruhi began. "I want nothing more than to come back, but I have made my decision. I can't face him ever again."

Tamaki bent his head as Haruhi turned her back on him and began to walk away.

"Wait," he insisted.

Haruhi stopped but refused to look back. "Yes?"

"Kyouya…" Tamaki said slowly, his heart beginning to pound faster. "Do you…do you…Haruhi, do you…"—why was it so hard to ask her that question? Didn't he run after her precisely to ask it?—"Haruhi…do you…"

"Tamaki-senpai…" Haruhi whispered.

"Do you…" Tamaki stammered. "Do you hate Kyouya?" That was the exact opposite of what he wanted to ask and Tamaki hit his head for it.

Silence. A bitter, biting silence that pierced both their hearts; each in turn battling with an inner demon inside the pit of their stomachs, trying to resolve their feelings and thoughts.

"I…" Haruhi started. "I—don't…hate him."

"Then you lo—"

"NO!" Haruhi suddenly cried out.

Tamaki's eyes widened with shock. "I haven't finished my—"

"Goodbye, Tamaki-senpai." And with that, Haruhi ran away from him, quickly disappearing from his sight, leaving him standing there, the image of her running away playing over and over in his mind.

**X X X**

_Ok…_

_I kissed her…_

_And then I ignored her…_

_And now she hates me…_

_How do you solve this?_

Kyouya wanted so much to believe that he was thinking of accounting the Host Club's expenses, of designing the new layout for the magazine's next issue, of planning the motif for the next club operation…

But no…

Haruhi's face, her words, her tears…only those filled his mind.

He sat back on his chair, removed his glasses and massaged the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes and heaving a heavy sigh that came from deep within him. He gave up pretending to concentrate in his work. He couldn't stay still either and kept moving his feet, turning his chair around in circles. He wondered, worried, how in the world he was going to fix everything. He told Tamaki, calm and composed, that it was nothing he couldn't handle. His self-confidence made everything look so easy. He's been able to solve problems before in a snap of his finger. But for the first time in his life, confident, intelligent and capable Kyouya was at a loss on what to do. He was still a dunce when it came to problems of love. It was the first time he's ever fallen for anyone. It was the first time that a girl has ever roused in him something more than just idle curiosity.

Then, despite himself, he chuckled. _Haruhi's not an ordinary girl_, he mused.

He got up and closed his laptop. He walked out of the curtains and found that everyone had left. As he made his way to the door, his cell phone rang and stopped him before he could grip the doorknob. He took out his phone and looked at the blinking screen.

_Tamaki…_

Kyouya stood still, looking silently at the cell phone in his hand.

_Should I answer it…or not?_

He shook his head. _Why should I be afraid of Tamaki? This is crazy, I should just answer it…_

But he didn't answer it. Instead, he stared at it until the blinking lights and the ringing stopped, leaving a missed call message with Tamaki's name on the screen.

_I guess I'm not ready to talk to anyone… Maybe I should leave for a while?_

The image of Haruhi crying flashed inside his mind. He frowned. He loves her. He does!

But…He's hurting her so much…he's making her cry all the time. He was bad at expressing his feelings, always has been. And whatever sincere emotions he felt, he would display the opposite because that was how he was raised. His father taught him not to show his true feelings because it would give opportunities for others to predict what he's thinking or what he would do. And to be a good businessman, one must not let anyone be able to do that. And so he lived by that rule, never knowing he was closing himself up to the possibilities of love and relationships. He's always passed himself off as someone who is exceedingly gifted in everything, and he has proved it, too. But in love? He was a total failure, and even plain cruel.

_Maybe I _should_ go. Just to give Haruhi time to heal her broken feelings, forget about what I did to her and give her strength to be happy again…_

Kyouya bent his head, standing alone in the dark room. _Tamaki…Is this the right thing to do? Help me to decide…_

And then he remembered.

By hurting Haruhi, he also hurt the others. Haruhi brought amazing color in the club and gathered them in the warmth of her smiles and unhesitating friendliness. It made them stronger, even led them to believe that they were a real family, more than Tamaki was able to do. And she did it unconsciously. She made them happier.

_Without Haruhi, everyone in this club would go on hurting. And the only way to bring her back is for me to…_

Kyouya put his cell phone back in his pocket and held out his hand, turned the doorknob and stepped out of the dark room, into the hazy shadows of the empty hallway. He closed the door.

…_is for me to go away…_

**Note from the author:**

Thank you guys for being supportive of my story! I really appreciate it. I'm sorry if I'm late in updating my stories. (Writer's block, yikes!) But I promise that you won't be disappointed with this one.

Anyway, I have new twists in store for you in the story.

Yes, Kyouya's going away. Will he come back? More exciting events in the next chapters!


	5. Chapter 5

Rain (part 5)

_We all felt it…_

_That emptiness…cold and unforgiving…_

_It was eternal…_

"Excuse me," a voice said, as the door in the Third Music Room opened hesitatingly. "There's mail for a Suou Tamaki."

It was a mailman. Lately, there had been many mailmen that came knocking on the door of their club room. Tamaki dashingly smiled at his customers, excused himself and ran straight to the door, his eagerness betrayed in the speed of his pace. He quickly signed for it and tore the big, brown envelope open.

_Maybe this time there's a letter…_ he hoped. But, when he pulled out the contents, his bright eyes suddenly darkened. There was no letter. It only contained the same thing as the countless other envelopes before it did: a complete schedule of club events, a copy of recent club accounts, a new magazine layout and new ideas for club motifs for the rest of the week.

_Kyouya_… Tamaki thought, tightening his fists. _Where are you?_

Kyouya had been gone for a month now. They were all shocked once they found the note he placed on his work table in the club room, saying that he'd gone away and that he'll be back soon.

That was all.

There was no explanation for his sudden disappearance, or where he was going, how to contact him or even when he'll be back. They all thought that was the end of the club, with both Haruhi and Kyouya gone. But Kyouya kept them moving by sending them materials and schedules every two or three days. He kept on doing his job, kept the club alive even though he wasn't there, and they found that the best thing they could do for him was to keep on doing their parts as well, act as if nothing's changed and lie through their teeth when customers inquired about him.

Tamaki walked up to Kyouya's work table where there stood a stack of brown envelopes and placed the recent one on top. He sighed. Kyouya wasn't their only problem. He diverted his gaze to a small, hunched, lonely figure sitting by a window and looking out, trapped in a dead daze.

Haruhi.

The twins had convinced her to come back. They came to her house, followed her around campus and even sent notes to her in class for a week, pleading her to change her mind. They were very determined, but so was Haruhi and she kept on rejecting them until one day, when the twins were badgering her on her way to school, she said, "I told you, I don't want to come back! I can't face him again!"

Hikaru had casually answered, "Who? Kyouya-senpai? Didn't you know? He suddenly disappeared. He's been gone since last week."

Kaoru had elbowed him hard on the side of his stomach, telling him to shut up but Haruhi had stopped, faced them and said, "I'll come by later."

And from then on, she began to attend club activities every single day. All of them gained hope again, even though she was acting strange, unsociable and unable to entertain customers. It was a start.

"Haaaaru-chan!" Mitsukuni greeted merrily, skipping in front of Haruhi with a wide grin and reddened cheeks.

_Honey-senpai! No! What are you doing?_ Tamaki exclaimed in his head, freezing with fear. The twins soon joined him, trembling from head to foot. For the past few weeks, Haruhi had been an unpredictable gaunt figure, easily driven away by attempts of cheering her up. If anyone approached her with a happy gesture, she would quickly stand up and leave. It had happened so many times now and they all had grown wise, resolving to leave her in peace until she's ready to recover from her pain. And here was Mitsukuni, committing that forbidden act!

"My lord!" Kaoru hissed in Tamaki's ear, panicking. "Someone should stop him! Where's Mori-senpai?"

"Kaoru…" Hikaru trembled. "He's not here. He's in the martial arts room…"

"Then we're dead!" Kaoru despaired.

The three of them watched, helpless. It was already too late to grab Mitsukuni, Haruhi had already turned to him. If they interfere now, who knows what would happen?

"Haru-chan, do you want to share this strawberry cake with me? I'll let you have most of the strawberries!" Mitsukuni exclaimed, his grin widening.

Haruhi just stared at him.

"This is it! She's gonna leave again!" Hikaru said, losing hope.

But to their surprise, a small smile formed in Haruhi's lips and she accepted Mitsukuni's offer saying, "I'd love that."

"Here, take my bunny!" Mitsukuni offered, pushing the bunny into her hands. "Isn't he warm and cuddly? He always makes me feel better. Don't you think so?"

"I do," was all Haruhi could say, for she began to hug the fat, pink bunny with a tenderness that was unexpected of her.

Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru looked on, puzzled. It was the first time they had seen Haruhi smile since her return. Tamaki sighed with relief and placed his arms on the twins' shoulders. He smiled.

"Finally. She's coming back to us."

**X X X**

Haruhi felt herself slowly being drawn out of the dark world she was trapped in. Mitsukuni's smile was so pleasing and affectionate that she couldn't help smiling back. When the others approached her, she could see their hidden fears of provoking her into crying again that she couldn't stand facing them. She had to get away, or else she'd be reminded of Kyouya and she'd fall back into tears. But Mitsukuni was different. He was so sincere and careless at the same time. He looked at her without hesitations, without being guarded of his actions and words. He made her feel comfortable. He was filled with childish innocence and it made her feel safe in his presence, because she was able to pretend that nothing was wrong. It was refreshing.

As Mitsukuni began to tell her stories about the adventures of his bunny and his love of cakes, Haruhi's eyes drifted towards Kyouya's work table. The pile of brown envelopes caught her attention. How many had he sent now? 10…? 20…?

Haruhi couldn't tell her exact feelings, but upon learning that Kyouya had gone away, she felt she had to come back to the club. She understood his motive. He was trying to bridge the trouble the two of them caused and she had to follow or else his going away would have been useless.

_So he ran away, _she thought. _What are you trying to do, Kyouya? Are you trying to make me forget you?_

She tried to forget him, but his presence in her mind was so persistent that she finally decided it was pointless to keep on trying. She kept on remembering that rainy night when he kissed her, when he slept beside her, and his steady breathing that kept her calm all throughout the night.

_Do I miss him?_ She asked herself. She imagined his tall figure sitting by the work table, engrossed in his laptop and typing furiously on the keys. Yes, she missed him. But the reason for it, she couldn't tell. _What is it I'm feeling?_

She chickened out when Tamaki tried to confront her about her feelings for Kyouya. But there was nothing else she could do! She didn't know it herself, how could she explain it to Tamaki?

_Do you hate Kyouya?_ Tamaki's question lingered before her, and her answer was still the same. She doesn't hate him. Even though he hurt her in a way that made it hard for her to recover from, she couldn't hate him. There was something else she felt for him that was far from hatred. It was something she dared not name. If she did, she felt that she would hurt herself more because Kyouya would probably not feel the same. He was very clear about it. It was all just a joke. She couldn't risk telling him her feelings now. She was afraid he might again say that it all meant nothing to him. And that would be far worse than anything she could imagine.

"Haru-chan? You're awfully quiet, are you okay?" Mitsukuni inquired, peering close to her face with a worried look.

She smiled for a second time. "I'm fine," she assured him. "What happened to your bunny next?"

Mitsukuni glowed with childish excitement, as if someone handed him a big, juicy lollipop. "He chased away the dark monster and then everything was flooded in light! He brought back the prince and then everyone was happy again, because the curse on the princess was lifted when the prince returned and she was restored to her beautiful self," he pointedly related, smiling widely.

Haruhi paused, looking down at the pink bunny in her arms. She looked up at Mitsukuni who was still smiling, and she falteringly asked, "W-why? What was the—curse….on the princess?"

"Oh that! Weren't you listening to me?" Mitsukuni scolded teasingly. "You see, a witch transformed the princess into this ugly, dark creature and the only way to bring her back is for the prince to kiss her."

"W-why the prince?"

"You little silly! It's because they're in love with each other!"

_Love._

Haruhi frowned, her mind getting confused again. While Mitsukuni was telling the story, she couldn't help thinking of Kyouya. And suddenly, that one word from Mitsukuni gave meaning to everything she was feeling.

_Was she…_

_Was she in love with Kyouya?_

She stood up and handed Mitsukuni his bunny. "I'm sorry, Honey-senpai," she said. "I need…to—go now." And with that, she raced out of the room.

Mitsukuni walked silently towards the frozen trio, who had been watching them the whole time. He faced Tamaki with a serious face, and said, "It's up to her now. I did the best I could to make her realize it. I mean, someone had to say it for her to figure it out."

"Thank you, Honey-senpai," Tamaki said.

_Forgive me, Kyouya,_ Tamaki thought. _I had to tell everyone about your feelings for Haruhi. It's time for us to step in and help the two of you realize what you feel for each other. Otherwise, you two would just go on denying it to yourselves. I promise you, when you come back, the old, happy Haruhi would be here to greet you._

But Tamaki wondered why, every time he thought of Kyouya and Haruhi together, he felt a little pain in his heart.

**Note from the Author:**

Here you go, guys! I updated as fast as I could. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Rain (part 6)

_The rain poured heavily…_

_And all we could do…_

_Was gaze out the window…_

_And wait for the sun..._

It was now two months since Kyouya left. Students started to ask questions about his mysterious disappearance, and were puzzled at how he could afford to skip school for that long. Some predicted that it wouldn't be long before he was kicked out of Ouran High School, and some even suggested wildly that he might have died and the Host Club was covering it up.

Gossips about him flew from one mouth to another, each as ridiculous as the one before it and everything subsided to the conclusion that Kyouya would never be seen in school again, until they began to notice the flood of mails being sent to his professors. Some students sneaked into one of the professors' desk and found that they were exams and papers written with Kyouya's name.

This special treatment roused the indignation of the other students, who felt that if there was such as option as studying without having to go to school, they should also be given the privilege of doing so. Tamaki's father, the president, confronted Tamaki about the growing danger of the situation. Any further absence from Kyouya would provoke more anger from the other students and would sacrifice the name of the school. And so he pleaded Tamaki to make Kyouya come back.

Tamaki, in order to save the situation, told his father that it was impossible for Kyouya to come back and that the best move would be to tell the students that Kyouya had taken a leave of absence because of a contagious disease and should not be blamed for wanting to continue his education even though he was bed-ridden. His father hesitated, but he knew that Tamaki was right. If he dared kick Kyouya out of the school, the son of one of the most powerful men in the whole country, he would be making a mistake that would ruin the school's reputation forever. If he induces the anger of the Ootori clan, there was no telling what they would do to him and his family, and his businesses.

This was done and the students were ashamed of themselves for thinking badly of Kyouya's absence, and who was probably suffering terribly. The girls, especially, wanted to atone themselves of doubting one of their idols for bad behavior that they sent countless gifts to his mansion.

The Ootori family were quite surprised by the flood of gifts for Kyouya, and was about to inquire the school for the act when their daughter Fuyumi, Kyouya's older sister, stopped them. Tamaki had already related all the events to Fuyumi, since he was pretty close to her and she was the only one in the family who understood Kyouya, and had solicited her help in the matter. She gladly obliged, for she was thrilled to hear that her brother was in love. She told her father that Kyouya was much idolized in school and that was why they were sending gifts. For now, he was staying with Tamaki and his friends, preparing for their final examinations and to avoid all of the commotion of the gifts.

Their father believed her, for Fuyumi was such a pure soul and he was sure she would never lie to him. From then on, no more questions were asked about Kyouya's disappearance and the gifts were simply placed in his room, while the foodstuffs like chocolates and sweeties were eaten by Kyouya's brothers.

Everything regarding Kyouya had simmered down to calm waves and Tamaki, after all the work of securing Kyouya's situation, found himself well-paid for it all by Haruhi's increasing cheerfulness.

Everyday, they got closer to getting the old Haruhi back. They were able to tease her now and she was beginning to answer back with the same indifferent sarcasm that they loved to see in her expressions. She smiled more often and was now able to entertain customers. Whenever Kyouya was mentioned, she would simply blush now instead of falling back into some kind of depression. Soon, she would be able to face Kyouya without getting hurt in the process. She was starting to forget the terrible incident that had happened between them.

"Haruhi," Tamaki called, as he watched her arguing with Hikaru about the pictures of her that he posted on their website, while sitting comfortably in one of the couches.

She looked at him with bright, happy eyes. "Yes, Tamaki-senpai?" she asked, walking towards him and ignoring Hikaru.

"There are two girls who are asking for you over by the tea table near the door," he said.

Haruhi nodded and proceeded towards the girls, who were smiling coquettishly at her.

It was then that another mailman appeared at the door. Tamaki stood up, expecting it was for him when the mailman said, "A letter for a Fujioka Haruhi."

Tamaki froze and looked at the others. They watched as Haruhi received the mail and signed for it. When the mailman left, Haruhi had remained by the door, staring at the envelope in her hands. It was written in Kyouya's handwriting.

She opened it and found a little note with only one sentence in it. Typical of Kyouya.

_I'm coming back today._

That was when she realized that the letter was intended as a warning to her. It was now up to her to decide if she is prepared to face him or not.

"Haruhi?" Tamaki asked.

She looked up and smiled. "It's from Kyouya-senpai," she announced. "He's coming back today."

Upon hearing the news of Kyouya's return, all the customers cheered and said that it was only proper that they hold a surprise party for him. They all began planning and amidst their chatter, the Host Club gathered around Haruhi in one corner of the room. Haruhi knew they were worried about her.

"Don't mind me," she assured them with a smile. "I'm okay with it now. If he comes, I'm ready to face him."

**XXX**

But Haruhi never saw him that day. She waited in the Third Music Room for him, her heart pounding excitedly every time the door opened and her smile fading in dejection when she finds it was not him. She kept her hopes up. He wouldn't have sent her that letter if he didn't mean to come after all. That would be confusing and so unlike Kyouya.

However, not a shadow of Ootori Kyouya was seen that day and Haruhi, lifeless, walked out of the Third Music Room to go home and sleep off her disappointment.

_Maybe tomorrow, I'll see him_. She smiled. She knew her feelings perfectly well by that time, and was not easily discouraged by the incident. She walked a little more gaily in the wide, red-carpeted corridors when she passed by a couple of girls who were talking non-stop about the party to be held at the end of the week in honor of Kyouya's "recovery" from his "illness."

"Ootori-senpai will be delighted with all of this!" a pig-tailed girl exclaimed, tossing her brown locks with what she thought was an elegant air.

"That's true!" another blonde-haired girl joined in. "I'm really sorry for him. Poor Ootori-senpai, to be sick for two months!"

"Oh, but he looked really well this morning. It seemed he lost a little weight, though. But then, that's expected after a long illness, right?"

Haruhi stopped, and despite herself walked towards the group. "Hello," she greeted.

The girls squealed in excitement. Fuijoka-san of the Host Club was talking to them!

"How was your day, Fujioka-san?" the pig-tailed girl greeted.

"It was fine," Haruhi answered. "But…did you say you saw Kyouya-senpai today?"

"Yes, we did. He was in class, actually."

Haruhi's eyebrows joined in confusion. "But I never saw him today," she said.

"Really? You didn't?"

"That's weird. I saw him walking with Suou-san in the east wing corridor. I think they were talking about the party. Even the Hitachiin brothers were there."

Now Haruhi was really confused, because the others never mentioned seeing Kyouya at all, let alone talking to him. She thanked the girls for the information and walked on, thinking over what they told her. There was something going on. That was definite. How could Tamaki-senpai not tell her that he had seen Kyouya, the one person she had been looking for all day?

_They're leaving me out on purpose,_ she decided. _What's going on?_

**XXX**

It was the morning before the party for Kyouya and preparations were excitedly being made. Tamaki directed everyone and was too busy that Haruhi barely had time to ask him about Kyouya. Even the twins were nowhere in sight. Takashi was doing all the heavy lifting for Tamaki, and so Haruhi was left to spend the day in the sidelines with Mitsukuni, who kept talking about cakes and eating them at the same time.

Haruhi couldn't bear it any longer. The suspense she was feeling inside was getting more and more uncontrollable with each minute that passed. Once, she turned to Mitsukuni and casually said, "This party sure seems to be a big one. I wonder what Kyouya-senpai will think of all this."

But Mitsukuni was as guarded as the others and just replied, "Me, too. Wow, this cake is delicious! You wanna try it?"

Haruhi just shook her head and frowned in her despair. When will she be able to see Kyouya?

All week, she had tried in vain to catch him and talk to him. She went to all his classes and even resolved to following Tamaki around just in case he gains his company. She never wondered about what she will say when she finally meets Kyouya after two months. She thought there was time enough to think of that; first of all, she must see him and resolve her feelings completely.

She had finally realized her true feelings for Kyouya, but there was still a part of her that was still unsure and would only be silenced once she hears his side of things, what he feels for her. She was beginning to think that he was avoiding her and everyone else was helping him do it. _Does this mean he doesn't feel the same way?_

She shook her head violently. _No. I won't be that stupid anymore, _she thought. _I won't jump to conclusions. Let Kyouya prove it to me himself_.

But how could he, when he was never around to begin with?

Apparently, everyone had already seen him and talked to him. Everyone.

Except her.

_How is he doing this? How could he be invisible to only me?_

She was at this state of mind when Tamaki passed by the two of them, talking to someone on the phone. Haruhi's heart stopped. _He must be talking to Kyouya!_

Without stopping to think of what she was doing, she ran up to Tamaki, grabbed the phone from his hand and cried at it, "Kyouya, are you ever going to show your face to me?"

Tamaki merely looked at her in speechless shock.

Haruhi waited for the other line to answer.

"Uh…this…this is the…caterer…" the voice on the other line said, apparently scared.

Haruhi's face reddened and she sheepishly returned the phone to Tamaki, who was looking at her with an expression of mixed shock and amusement. He took his phone and walked away, continuing his conversation with the caterer. Haruhi, embarrassed, inched back to the tea table where Mitsukuni sat laughing merrily at her.

Where was Kyouya?

The suspense was killing her!


	7. Chapter 7

**Rain (part 7)**

_The lights were glittering…_

_They blinded my eyes…_

_I impatiently wave it all away…_

_To see you…_

It was the night of the party and everything was set. It was held in the big plaza in front of the school. There was an elaborately decorated stage with a string quartet on it, playing mellow tunes that lulled the evening into its elegant splendor. The lights were dim and warm, all shades of yellow and red, and they played around the joyous faces of the students, who were all clad in their best dresses and jewelry. They were all talking and laughing on the sides of the dance floor, which was still empty. They were waiting for a speech from the Host Club. After all, it _was_ their party, and in honor of their comrade. But no one from the Host Club was present yet and so the crowd cheerily waited, satisfying themselves with sparkling drinks and dainty finger foods.

The Host Club was still in the Third Music Room. All of them were wearing their best formal clothes. Tamaki, who always aimed to be the life of the party, wore a princely coat-and-tie ensemble, all white, with matching shoes and deliciously pulled together by a dramatic, single red rose pinned near his heart. The twins wore matching black suits, each artfully decorated by a characteristic, topsy-turvy tie that hinted some hidden mischief underneath the seriousness of the suit; and the only way to tell them apart was that Kaoru's hair was waved to the left while Hikaru's was to the right. Mitsukuni wore a black-and-white ensemble with a cute little bowtie that suited him far better than if he wore a tie. It heightened his childish charms, especially if he stood beside Takashi, who was wearing a black long-tailed suit with pinstriped pants. On Takashi's rugged hair was a top hat tilted to the side, which gave him a rather dangerous look. Though he was wearing formal clothes, he still gave the impression of a gangster, which was only softened by the presence of Mitsukuni, making him look more approachable and less frightening.

They were all looking their best that night; except for Haruhi, whom they were all trying to convince to put on a dress, and who refused point-blank.

"No! Everyone here thinks I'm a boy. They'll become suspicious," Haruhi protested, waving away the frilly white dress which Hikaru and Kaoru were pushing into her hands.

"That's why you're going to wear a wig. You'll be our mascot for the evening," Kaoru said.

Haruhi glared at him. "As _enchanting_ as that sounds," she said sarcastically. "I have no wish of entertaining anyone tonight. I'm not sure I even want to go."

"But, but, but!" Tamaki pleaded. "You can't just leave us alone out there! Who will take care of us?"

"You all hardly need anyone to take care of you," Haruhi said. "I don't want to wear that dress."

Hikaru held it up for her to see it clearly. "But isn't it beautiful?" he asked with a sly expression.

Haruhi looked at the dress. It _was_ beautiful. It was white, made with a light, silky material that floated instead of dropped, with frills in the hem and sparkly beads that heightened its allure to the eyes. She sighed. "Yes, it's beautiful," she said. "Where did you get it, anyway?"

"Kyouya-senpai sent it this morning," Kaoru said with an all-too-innocent expression.

Haruhi blushed. Kyouya sent her a dress?

After a few moments of silence and blushing, Haruhi grabbed the dress from Hikaru's hands and went out to change. The rest of them only smiled at each other.

**XXX**

"Shall I start?" Tamaki asked the other members of the Host Club.

The Hitachiin brothers gave twin "Ok!"s and Mitsukuni gave a peace sign, while Takashi only grunted in agreement. Tamaki smiled and nodded. He faced the glittering crowd.

"Ladies and gentlemen, good evening!" he called out.

At once, the music stopped and the chattering died away. Everyone turned to the stately figure of Tamaki as he began his opening address to properly start the party.He made a proper little speech telling them of the Host Club's and especially Kyouya's gratitude for their warm reception of his return.

"Unfortunately, Kyouya will be arriving late tonight as he is still in recovery. Nonetheless, we all hope that you enjoy the party and make pleasant memories of this evening. Thank you."

The crowd applauded and Tamaki signaled the string quartet to start the music. He opened the dance floor with a tall, elegant girl of high status, followed suit by the other members of the club. Soon, everyone was dancing and the lights played around from high above as if eager to join the merriment.

Haruhi lightly walked inside the corridors, watching and waiting. She was wearing a wig that looked much like her hair in high school, before she had it cut and was feeling the nostalgia of her appearance. She was afraid to step out into the plaza, for some unknown reason.

_Kyouya isn't here yet,_ she assured herself. _So there's nothing to be shy about_.

But she still couldn't brave the lights and the people of the plaza. She wanted to stay in hiding, so that if Kyouya does show up, she'll be able to at least prepare herself for their first meeting.

_Why is he late, anyway? He wasn't sick at all to begin with. Or was he?_

She sighed and pressed her back against the cold walls of the corridor. She couldn't tell what's what anymore. Between her anxiety and Kyouya's continued absence, her mind had found itself completely swamped. As for her heart, it was still holding on firmly to Kyouya, although she wasn't sure if it would keep on doing so when he seemed to be literally avoiding her.

Her hand involuntarily stroked the soft material of her dress and her cheeks softly reddened, remembering that Kyouya had bought it for her. She wondered why he did it. There must be some special reason, but for now it was all mystery and she was dying to have it solved. She was determined to make the party a night of revelation for her. Once Kyouya shows his face, she won't let anything about his recent actions, especially his disappearance, escape her knowledge.

_Well…_she thought. _Nothing will happen if I stay here and mope._

She breathed in deeply and braced herself as she walked out of the dark corridor into the warmly lit plaza. She saw several heads turn into her direction but no one could recognize her and so she was safe from any approach. She walked around the edges of the spacious dance floor, and she caught glimpses of the others as they danced with their partners. She smiled; half-glad that no one was asking her to dance. She was a bad dancer, in her opinion, and if anyone tried to spin her, she would easily get dizzy, lose all conscious sight amidst the lights and would be a completely useless dancing partner for a few minutes, while she struggles to regain her composure.

Instead, she satisfied herself with watching the happy couples on the floor and keeping one eye on the main entrance, just in case Kyouya arrives.

"Haruhi!" a voice cried out to her.

She looked up and saw Tamaki waving at her from the center of the dance floor, beckoning her to come to him.

She shook her head violently, her eyes wide with fear. No, she will _not_ dance.

Tamaki impatiently insisted and finally ran up to her and took her hand. "Come on, Haruhi, let's dance," he said.

Haruhi tried to pull her hand from his. "No, please," she said desperately. "I'm just fine standing here. I'll just watch you guys. Go on!"

Tamaki glared at her, like a father scolding a stubborn daughter. "I insist," he said. "It'll be ok. I'll take care of you. It's just dancing."

Haruhi knew then and there that any struggle on her part was already a lost cause. Tamaki wanted no other answer than "yes."

"All right," Haruhi muttered, defeated. With that, Tamaki led her to the middle of the dance floor and faced her, taking her hand and placing his other hand on her waist. They swayed gently in the mellow music.

"See? It's easy," Tamaki said. "I can't understand what you were afraid of. Sometimes you put too much stress on yourself. Relax a little."

Haruhi almost laughed at the honesty of his speech. "I know," she answered. "I was just being unreasonable, I guess."

Music of a faster beat cut off the soothing scenario and Tamaki's light expression suddenly became livelier. "Hey, they've picked it up!" he exclaimed, excitedly. And without warning, he grabbed Haruhi a little more strongly, swaying her here and there until she was half-faint.

"T-Tamaki-senpai, stop, you're making me dizzy—"

And then it all became worse. Tamaki, as he attempted to do a swing-style dance, spun Haruhi and let go of her hand.

Haruhi instantly felt the world turn upside down and her eyes became a bit blurry. "Wait—" she tried to say, but a hand that was different from the feel of Tamaki's grabbed hers. She looked up and saw the hazy image of Takashi.

"Mori-senpai? Oh, please, I'm feeling very—"

Another spin, stronger this time and Haruhi felt herself being thrown in space, only to be captured by someone who laughed a lot like Mitsukuni.

"Honey-senpai! Let go of—"

And he spun her again. The lights were beginning to look too bright and blinding to her eyes.

Someone pulled her hand and swayed her around.

"Having fun, Haruhi?"

"K-Kaoru—?"

"Wow, you're really becoming dizzy if you think I'm Kaoru."

"Hika—"

Spin!

"Stop this right—"

"Haruhi, it's Kaoru!"

"Kaoru—"

Spin!

Spin!

Spin!

She heard the faint laughter of the five cruel boys as they passed her around from one to another, teasing her, spinning her and making her more and more lightheaded and nearer to unconsciousness at every turn.

Spin!

Spin!

Spin!

"Stop it!" she cried helplessly and she suddenly found herself alone. Her world was still spinning and so she stopped where she was, giving herself time to recover and gain composure. The lights were still blinding, and the other students who were dancing around and bumping hard into her made the situation unbearable to her.

It was then that someone grabbed her by the waist and held her tightly against his body in a waltz position. She blinked at the lights and, narrowing her eyes, she tried to see the face of the person holding her.

"Tamaki-senpai?" she asked, hesitating.

She shook her head to wave away the blinding lights and slowly, her eyes began to clear and her dizziness faded. And she saw the face of her captor.

She gasped.

Kyouya.


	8. Chapter 8

Rain (part 8)

**Note from the Author:**

I'm sorry to say this, but this is the last chapter of Rain. :( Hope you enjoy it! :)

**X X X**

It was him.

Kyouya.

For what seemed like an eternity, Haruhi held her breath and gazed into his eyes, filled with mixed emotions of shock, distress and happiness. He looked straight into her eyes, gazing with all the seriousness and tenderness of a deep and meaningful affection.

That was when she noticed that he wasn't wearing his glasses and his raven eyes were pulling her heart closer and closer to him. She dared not move for she was scared that he might stop holding her. His warm embrace, his strong arms clutching her by the waist, were all she cared to have at that moment.

He didn't speak, nor did she. They only held on to each other, wrapped in the reverie of a silence more expressive than speech.

And then…he began to sway her gently, smiling a little. Haruhi felt as if all the weight of the anxiety she was feeling for the past two months were slowly melting away under the tender movements of his body and the shyness of his smile.

_He's here, _she thought, closing her eyes and swelling with bliss.

"That dress looks wonderful on you," he said in a low tone.

"Thank you," she whispered back, blushing. "You bought it."

And then his smile widened and a small laugh escaped him. "That's right, I did," he said.

Haruhi smiled, too, getting more comfortable now. Her heart was slowly relaxing into a steady rhythm, a rhythm following the beat of their dance. And then she understood why he had to meet her this way.

She was, she admitted to herself, being guarded on her emotions and her reactions even though she had already forgotten the pain of the past. She was bent on seeing Kyouya, but on the back of her mind, she imagined their first meeting to find her shy, timid and unable to speak to him. The space of time when he would walk towards her would allow her to build a wall of pretention and move according to it, thus removing any more hope for a natural growth of conversation and even affection forever afterwards.

He had to meet her by surprise, to catch her like a little chick just out of the shell and opening its eyes for the first time, so that she would not have any time to set herself up to any form of prejudice against him by giving room for her to remember the past. He had to build up her suspense to make her desperate and more unaware of her feelings so that at their first meeting, she would see in him a new version of Kyouya and not the old one who hurt her.

"It was all planned, wasn't it?" Haruhi asked for his confirmation, which would prove all that she thought right.

He nodded. "I had to make you see me for what I am now," he said. "Not the fool I was before."

"I'm thankful for it. I would've set myself against you if you had met me any other way after your disappearance. I would've remembered what happened between us and ruin the chance of us starting over afresh. And now, I have to ask, who are you?"

"Come on," he said, stopping and taking her hand. "Let's talk."

He led her out to one of the gardens around the plaza. He walked in front of her, his hand holding hers so firmly and he seemed to her so sure of what he was doing now than before he left. They came to a little pavilion with barely any light and overgrown with flowery vines that perfumed the night air with the scent of warm honey. It gave Haruhi a sense of calm serenity, which prepared her for the revelations she was about to hear.

Kyouya turned to her, still holding her hand. She noticed that he had been holding it since their meeting and had never endeavored to let go.

"First, I want to talk about that night in the rain," he said.

Haruhi nodded and gestured to him that she was ready to listen.

He sighed in an attempt to banish a heaviness she couldn't perceive. He then said, "I must tell you now and first of all, Haruhi," he continued. "That I'm in love with you."

Haruhi's eyes widened and she was about to reply when he held her lips and stopped her.

"I know you also have a lot to say about that," he said. "But before anything, you _have_ to hear this. I love you. You've captured me ever since that day at the beach when you said I'm not interested in anything that had no merits for me. It was true and you had delved deeper into my character without my knowing it. And then I started noticing you, watching you carefully all the time, keeping tabs on your actions, the words you say, everything! I tried to stop, but everyday you brought on something new to attract my attention. You made me laugh, you made me think and you almost made me go crazy trying to forget your face every single night."

He was saying all of this with a look of utmost sincerity and every time he found something too difficult to say, his grip on her hand became tight for a few moments until he had said it.

"Haruhi," he whispered.

Silence.

"Y-yes?" she answered, hesitating.

"That day…when I caught you looking at me…I suddenly felt this irresistible urge to kiss you and tell you how much I love you. I tried to dissuade it so I left and I was getting paranoid. You began to avoid me and it made me think the absurd probability that you might have discovered my feelings for you and I panicked. So, in an attempt to make you angry and forget it, I played a prank on you and sent my driver to pick you up and tease you. It succeeded. He told me how upset you were and how you were already near crying when you left.

"After hearing that, my conscience got the better of me and I regretted what I did. So much, in fact, that I left home on foot with the idea of going to your house and apologizing. Halfway there, I decided to turn back when it began to rain. Your house was nearer than mine and my cell phone was already soaking wet and perfectly useless, so I thought the best idea was to go straight to your house. And then I met you on the street, I saw you crying. I couldn't bear it so I walked directly to you to comfort you but I did the unthinkable and kissed you. You can't imagine my embarrassment when I brought you home. I didn't know how you felt about what I did. It increased when your father insisted that I stay the night. I couldn't face you so I kept my back turned, and I got up very early in the morning so that you won't have to see me when you wake up."

Haruhi's heart was beating wildly. So this was his side of the story. This was why he had acted strangely and had retaliated so cruelly when he caught her staring.

But Kyouya wasn't done. There was much to explain and Haruhi, in an attempt to help him on, gave his hand an encouraging squeeze.

"And then it was my turn to start avoiding you. I thought you were angry with me and like a coward I didn't want to confront it. I saw what happened to you. You were always in a daydream after that night and I thought you were just biding your time to tell me how you felt. I kept behind those curtains, afraid to go out and pretending that I was working. And then I heard your voice asking to come in. I couldn't let you in! I didn't want to see you after what I did. I was too ashamed. I tried every excuse to make you go away but you waved it all aside and came in by force. I didn't want you to see me panicking and afraid so I decided to look indifferent and be so about everything you will say.

"And when you kissed me…I almost lost myself in it and was about to give in when my fear made me think that you might be doing it to take revenge on me. I'm sorry if I'm offending you by saying it but I was too confused with my own feelings to be thinking clearly. I ended up pushing you away and insulting you. But let me tell you that I regretted everything I did right after you said you quit the Host Club. And then I didn't know how to bring you back. You were apparently disgusted with me, and I couldn't blame you. I was, too, with myself. I treated you badly, and I couldn't figure out how to fix it. I told Tamaki how I felt but there was little he could say to help me. And the only solution I could think of was to go away, settle my own mind and to give you time to heal your hurt feelings."

"Where did you go?" Haruhi asked.

"I went to our summer house in Sapporo."

"That's really far. You stayed there for two months?"

"Yes," Kyouya replied. "Our summer house is very well-stocked with everything I needed so it wasn't an unpleasant stay altogether. But I did much thinking there and when I finally decided that I was ready to start over and had finally admitted to myself that I love you without struggling to suppress it, I instantly came back. I went, first of all, to see Tamaki. I had to know, before seeing you, how you were and if you had gotten over what had happened between us. He said you were back to your old self, but he that even though you could already talk about me without feeling any pain, you were still unsure about your feelings. We talked over a lot of things about you and what I could do to help you along.

"Remember when I sent you that note, the one that said I was coming back that day? Well, I had already been back for a week before I sent it. Tamaki and I planned everything. He told me to observe your actions once you received it, just to be sure that you were ready to meet me. And he also planned that feat where I would talk to everyone but you. He said it would help you to decide on your own feelings."

"Tamaki-senpai planned that?"

"Yes. I owe so much to him," Kyouya said. "He made everything secure for me when I was away."

"Wait," Haruhi said. "If you only told Tamaki-senpai, how come the others seemed to be in on the plan for tonight?"

"Tamaki told them everything. It was no use hiding it to them, they _are_ our best friends and he saw that I needed as much help as I could get. I mean, I've never felt this way before." He stopped then and waited for her.

Haruhi looked straight into his eyes. "Well…" she murmured. "I guess it's my turn, isn't it?"

Kyouya didn't move, nor did he say anything. He kept his eyes on hers and waited for what she would say.

"I also struggled with my own feelings, and all of it only came to the surface that night when you kissed me. There's nothing much to tell on my part, just that I found myself trapped in a world I never want to be in again. You _have_ hurt me deeply, and it took all my strength to regain myself and be what I am now before you. But I don't care about that now. I don't care about anything else in the world. I only care about this moment, right here with you. And I think it's only right that I should tell you now that I love you. I love you, Kyouya."

There was a moment when the two of them held their breaths, locked in each other's gaze and feeling a world of emotion in their hearts. And then, Kyouya slowly touched her chin, and pulled her closer and closer…until their lips almost touched. And he whispered, "Haruhi…"

What little light they had was heightened by the sudden rush of clouds, revealing the full moon, and it lent its light to the glowing faces of the lovers as they kissed amidst the scents of the night flowers.

**XXX**

When he saw Kyouya leading Haruhi out into the gardens, Tamaki watched them with both sadness and happiness fighting in his heart. And now, as he saw them kissing from the shadows, he turned away with a trembling sigh and looked up at the full moon.

Whenever he thought of Haruhi and of Kyouya, of the two of them together, something thrashed about inside him that he dared not acknowledge. He tried in vain to resist knowing what it was and helped Haruhi and Kyouya to end up together with all that was in is power so that he wouldn't have time to think about it.

But now…now he knew what it was. It reared its ugly head as soon as he saw them kiss.

It was jealousy.

Yes, he was jealous. But his feelings for Haruhi were still far from love. It was full of affection, yes, but he liked to think that it was not the same as what Kyouya felt for her. And when he saw how happy Kyouya had made Haruhi, he found the strength to smile and say to himself, "I'm happy for you both."

With that, he walked back to the party.

**XXX**

Haruhi couldn't tell how happy she was; just that it was too much for words to express. They were walking further in the grounds of the school now, talking and laughing, much at ease with each other. She found that they both had so much in common after all, and there was little character that they didn't share. She watched as Kyouya animatedly told her stories about himself and she saw on his face new expressions that she had never seen before. He was relaxed and had given up his mask. He had torn down the walls he had built around himself.

This was the Kyouya without the glasses. He was easy, comfortable and loving. But he still held that walk, that stand, that pride of self-assurance and she liked seeing it in him because with the revelation of the other side of his character, it made him stronger in her eyes.

As they turned down a grassy lane, Haruhi felt something small and wet drop on her left cheek. Her surprised expression caught Kyouya's attention and looked at where she was pointing. He saw that it was a tiny drop of water and he wiped it away with his fingers, but as he did so, another drop took its place. And then another fell on his own cheek, on his head, his shoulders and soon, a light rain began to fall.

Haruhi panicked. "Let's run, Kyouya! To the pavilion!" she cried, about to run towards it.

But Kyouya grabbed her hand and pulled her back. The rain became a little heavier and Haruhi tried in vain to free herself from Kyouya's grip. He had a mischievous smile on his face and Haruhi then figured that he intended to stay where he was and enjoy the rain.

"No…" she pleaded. "No! Kyouya, let me go! Let me go—no!"

A heavy rain ensued and Haruhi was soon dripping wet. "No!" she screamed again. "My dress! My hair!"

Kyouya laughed so strongly at Haruhi's complains that soon, she found herself laughing, too.

"Come on, Haruhi, it's just a little rain," Kyouya said. "It's not going to hurt you."

"The rain won't, but the cold will," Haruhi protested.

"Here, wear my coat," Kyouya offered.

Haruhi laughed. "It's soaking," she said. "I don't think it will help."

"Maybe _this_ will help." And he wrapped his arms around her, so tightly and so warmly, that Haruhi soon felt the rain and the world vanish before her, leaving her only with Kyouya and his tender embrace.

END

**X X X**

Footnotes:

This beach scene that Kyouya mentioned can be found in Ouran High School Host Club episode 8 : _The Sun, The Sea and the Host Club_


End file.
